It didn’t take long for Lick-Wilmerding to capture the attention of the rest of the Bay Counties League this year, as the Tigers came storming out of the gate with 11 straight wins to open the season, a stretch that included a 10-point win over 13-5 John Swett.
Athletic director and coach Eliot Smith is quick to attribute the team’s success to the unselfish mindset of his team leaders, which includes return transfer Micah Elan, a 6’ 4” point guard who spent his junior season playing at Prolific Prep in Napa after starting for the Tigers as a freshman and sophomore. Elan was ranked among the top 40 players in the Class of 2016 by NorCal Preps.
“(Micah) is a great leader, and brings a pass-first mentality to our team,” Smith said. “He’s also a great leader in the sense that if he has a bad game or bad moments, he keeps his head up, and plays harder.”
The Tigers’ unselfish mindset on offense has been contagious, as the trio of Elan, sophomore guard Walter Lum, and junior post player Avi Leung have created an offensive trio which, in Smith’s own words, have “picked up most of the offense, and really gotten everyone involved.”
Lick-Wilmerding also applies its team philosophy on the defensive end, where the Tigers employ a full-court press, something Smith noted as a tremendous help to the team’s 18-1 start. Elan and fellow senior captain Kevin Hou have been leaders defensively as well, establishing a team identity associated with effort and unselfishness on both ends of the court.
“Offensively, we’ve really adopted the mentality as a team that the more you give (the ball) up, the more you get it back,” Smith said. “As a result, we are moving the ball very well, and playing with a true team mentality.”
The ability to effectively move and control the ball offensively, coupled with the full-court defensive pressure, has enabled the Tigers to severely restrict their opponents ability to score. Over the course of the last six games, all victories, Lick-Wilmerding has allowed just one opponent to reach the 50-point mark, and that was in an 83-50 win over Marin Academy on Tuesday. Playing on the big stage at Oracle Arena last week, against 2015 state finalist University, the Tigers turned up the pressure to claim a 50-40 victory.
Smith points to the intangibles his team possesses as reasons why the Tigers have raised the bar with their best squad since 2008, when Lick-Wilmerding finished 26-9, losing to Branson in both the North Coast Section championship game and the Division V NorCal title game.
“This team really likes each other a lot,” Smith said. “They really play as a team at all times, and embrace the concept of having one heartbeat.”
Despite the fast start, and an early win over University, the Tigers are fully aware that the schedule will get more difficult the rest of the way, beginning tomorrow against an Urban team that features eight seniors and is 12-6. The BCL-West slate also includes another game at University and a pair of matchups with Stuart Hall. All four of the top teams in the division are at least six games above .500 for the season.
“We know that anything can happen in league, as all teams know each other so well,” Smith said. “Each game will get more exciting, so we just need to believe in our philosophy, and who we are.”
Spartans, Mustangs renew rivalry tomorrow night . . . Having met six times in the last two seasons, all Monte Vista victories, the two teams currently leading the EBAL with identical 5-0 records in league play are plenty familiar with each other. But despite the high-profile nature of this game, and the fact that they are seeking just their third win in the last 11 meetings, don’t expect De La Salle to shift its focus anywhere but on its own style of play and level of execution.
“We keep it simple and work to improve each time out on the court,” said De La Salle coach AJ Kuhle, in reference to the approach for tomorrow night’s game. “We spend a great deal of time on what we do and how we want to improve as individuals and as a collective team, and less about any opponent. We respect the game and work to play our best each time out.”
Despite recent history between the programs, De La Salle has to be considered the favorite entering tomorrow night, as the top-ranked team in the East Bay, the North Coast Section, and Northern California. As usual, the Spartans are getting it done on the defensive end, having allowed more than 50 points just three times in 16 games. And that has been accomplished against top competition from around the country, with wins over programs such as 21-7 Prestonwood Christian (Plano, TX), 15-5 Alemany-Mission Hills, and Orange Lutheran. In the recent win over Lutheran, the Spartans held the Lancers to 37 percent shooting from the field.
The lone hiccup for the Spartans came in the MaxPreps Holiday Classic, when they allowed an uncharacteristic 23 fourth-quarter points in a 71-59 loss to Bishop Gorman. On the offensive end, they have been following the consistent lead of seniors Jordan Ratinho and Nikhil Peters.
Monte Vista, meanwhile, is once again finding its stride after heavy losses due to graduation, similar to last season. The Mustangs graduated such standouts last season as Stefan Mitu, Joseph Mileski, Wilson LaShells, and Justin Anderson, but have seemingly reloaded under the leadership of coach Nick Jones.
Senior Spencer LaShells is a double-double threat in the post every night out, while junior Ashton Rust is another key player in the post. Guards Bryce Anderson, Austin Fadal, and Jon Salas have all been solid in the backcourt.
Heritage and Freedom clash for BVAL lead . . . Two-time defending BVAL champion Freedom looks to shake off two losses in its last three games when it faces district rival Heritage tomorrow night. Heritage is 15-2 right now, and seeking its first league title since 2010.
Both teams feature an effective, trapping full-court defense, and both distribute the ball to a multitude of scorers offensively. Both programs also expect to have success on an annual basis. Neither program has had a losing record since 2009, when Drew Torres was in his first season at the helm of the Freedom program. Heritage has never suffered a losing season in its varsity existence, with current coach and athletic director Pat Cruickshank in charge since the school opened in 2005.
Windsor takes control in the North Bay League . . . With impressive double-digit victories in their first five league games, the Jaguars control their own destiny, in the midst of their best season in four years, when Windsor went 28-7 and advanced to the NCS Division II finals against Newark Memorial.
TCAL-Rock battle features quality race to the top . . . With five of the six teams in our NCS top 25, the Rock division of the Tri-County Athletic League is one of the premier leagues in the section. Salesian took a big step towards a division title with a win over Saint Mary’s last night, and now faces co-leader St. Patrick-St. Vincent tomorrow night.
